tipitakafandomcom-20200215-history
Thera 1.33: Sopaka
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(33):Sopaka (A Boy-Bhikkhu) Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter I. Single Verses =33. Sopāka (A Boy-Bhikkhu.)= He was reborn in this Buddha-age at Sāvatthī, of a very poor woman. In her travail his mother fell into a long deep swoon, so that her family relatives said 'She is dead!' And they took her to the cemetery, and prepared to cremate the body. But a spirit prevented the fire burning by a storm of wind and rain, so they went away. Then was the child born hale while the mother died. And the spirit, in human shape, took the infant and placed it in the watchman's house, nourishing it for a time with suitable food. After that the watchman adopted it, and the child grew up with his own son Suppiya (Ps. XXXII.). And because of his birth in the cemetery, he became known as Sopaka, 'the Waif.'1 When he was seven years' old it came to pass that the Exalted One(Buddha) early in the morning spread out his divine net of Insight in meditation what folk might be brought in. And seeing what the net enclosed, 38 he went to the cemetery. The boy, impelled by his antecedents, approached the Lord(Buddha) with a gladdened mind and saluted him. The Lord(Buddha) taught him, so that he asked to leave the world(for monkhood), and when asked to gain his father's consent, fetched the latter to the Lord(Buddha). The father saluted, and asked the Lord(Buddha) to admit the boy. And the Lord(Buddha) had him admitted, and assigned to him the study of fraternal love.2 He, taking this exercise and living in the cemetery, soon acquired the corresponding jhāna. And making that his base,3 he fostered insight and realized arahantship(enlightenment). As arahant(enlightened) he showed in his verse to the other bhikkhus(monks) living there the principle of the love exercises, asking them make no difference between those who were to them friendly, indifferent, or hostile. For all alike their love should be one and the same in its nature, and should include all realms, all beings, at all ages: ---- 33 Yathāpi ekaputtasmiɱ piyasmiɱ kusalī siyā|| Evaɱ sabbesu pānesu sabbattha kusalo siyā' ti.|| || ---- 33 Even as she would be very good Towards her only child, her well-beloved son, So too you should be very good Towards all creatures everywhere and everyone.4 ---- 1 Cf. Sutta-Nipāta, verse 137. 2 Cf. Dialogues, ii. 219. It is a pretty touch that the boy, who as a waif owed everything to fraternal love and pity, should have been set this study. Cf. Ps. I. 3 Compendium, p. 62. 4 This simile is better known in the form given it in the Sutta-Nipāta (verse 149) and the Khuddaka-pātha, bringing in the loving mother more explicitly. Here the language is so simple that it really lends probability to the Commentator's story of the boy-bhikkhu, who as a 'waif' had never known a mother. I have therefore rendered it as a child's attempt. 'Ye' is lit. 'one.' ---- 1.4-333 Commentary on the stanza of =Sopāka Thera= The stanza starting with yathā pi ekaputtasmiṃ constitures that of the venerable Thera Sopāka. What is the origin? It is said that he, having done devoted service toward former Buddhas, accumulating good deeds conducive towards escape from rounds of repeated rebirths (vaṭṭa) in this and that existence, was reborn as the son of a certain estate owner (kuṭumbika) at the time of the Blessed One Kakusandha. One day, on having seen the Master, he became pious- minded and offered fruits full of substantial seed (bīja) to the Master. The Blessed One accepted (his offering) out of compassion for him. Having became specially pleased with the clergy of bhikkhus(monks) also he set up meal-offering by lot (salākabhatta) and gave offering of milk-meal throughout his span of life to three bhikkhus(monks) by way of (his) dedication to the entire congregation of monks. On account of those acts of merit, while enjoying mow and then the prosperity among divine and human beings, he was reborn once in the womb of a human being and gave as charitable offering, milk-meal to a silent buddha. Having done meritorious deeds in this and that existence, thus, he wandered about round and round but in excellent existences (sugati) and took conception in the womb of a certain poverty-stricken lady (duggatitthi) in Sāvaṭṭhi, consequent upon (nissanda) (his) former deed, when this Buddha arose. His mother having all-round borne (pariharitvā) the embryo for ten months by means of her womb was unable to give delivery at the time of givine birth when the pregnency became all-round nature, fell into a fainting and kept herself lying down as if she were dead for a long time. Her relatives carried her away to the cemetry since they were under the impression that she was dead, mounted her on a funeral pyre and when wind and rain arose due to divine power, did not set fire to the pyre and took their departure. The baby-boy came out in good health from the mother’s womb by the power of divine-beings because of the fact that it was his final existence (pacchimabhavikattā). The mother, however died. The divine-beings collected that baby-boy, in the guise of human-beings, placed it in the house of cemetry-custodian and for some time nourished the baby-boy with suitable nourishment. Thereafter, subsequently, the cemetry custodian also made that baby his own son and brought him up (vaḍḍheti). Growing up on that manner, that boy wandered about sporting together with a boy named Supiya, the son of that cemetry custodian. His name became Sopāka because of the fact that he was born and well brought up in the grave-yard. Then one-day the Blessed One caught sight of him who had become seven years old and entered inside (antogadhaṃ). His net of knowledge (ñāṇa jālaṃ), on His having looked at the world to find convertible kinsmen (vaneyyabandhava) after having spread out His net of knowledge early in the morning, and proceeded on His journey to the region of the cemetry. Being urged by his former cause (pubbahetu), the boy became piours-minded, approached the Master and stood having paid his homage to Him. The Master taught him the dhamma. He listened to the dhamma, asked for monkhood, and on being asked whether he had got the approval of his father, he led his father to the presence of the Master. His father approached the Master, paid Him his homage and bave his consent saying: “Venerable Sir Please make this boy a novice.” The Master had him initiated into His order of monks and assigned him (niyojesi) with the duty of developing (bhāvanā) loving kindness (mettā). He took hold of the mental exercise on loving kindness (mettākammaṭṭhāna) and dwelling in a cemetry he brought about the jhāna of loving knidness, made the jhāna his basis, developed clear insight (vipassanā) and visualised Arahantship but before long. Hence, it has been stated in the Apadāna:– “That great hero Kakusandha, proficient (pāragū) in all dhamma separated Himself from His organisation (gaṇa) and went into the midst of the forest. I collected marrow of seeds (bījamiñjaṃ) and strung upon them with a creeper (latāya āvuṇiṃ). At that juncture the Blessed One had entered upon jhāna amidst the hills. On having seen the divine of the divine (devadeva), I offered the seed-marrow to the hero (vāra) worthy of dedicated dona- tion, with my pious mind. It was in this very aeon (kappa) that I offered then the marrow (miñja). I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of seed- marrow (offering). My depravity had been destroyed. … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out. Having, however, attained Arahantship, he uttered a stanza, starting with “yathā pi ekaputtasmiṃ” in order to point out to other bhikkhus(monks) who practise the cemetry-austerity (sosānika) the method (vidhi) of developing loving kindness (mettāvhāvanā). 33. There yathā constitutes an indeclinable particle (nipāta) in the sense of an illustrative example (opammattha). Ekaputtasmiṃ is to be construed thus:– He cleanses (punāti) also he looks after (tāyati) the family lineage (kulavaṃsa); thus, he is a son (putta); a son is of such varieties as one’s own offspring (atraja) etc. One son is a single son (ekaputta); in that single son. In the sphere also (visayeca) this is a locative word (bhummavacana). Piyasmiṃ means:– because he should be loved as well as because of being the only son, in such a son as has become the centre of creating affectionate love (pema) with such qualities as beauty (rūpa, moral preepts, good conduct (ācāra) and so on. Kusalī is to be construed thus:– Kusala is said to be security (khema), the state of being happy (sotthi); there is in this one that secure happiness which ought to be gained; thus, the securely happy one (kusalī); the seeker of welfare for living creatures, whose heart is but loving kindness (mettajjhāsayo). Sabbesu pāṇesu means towards all living-beings. Sabbattha means:– in all directions (disā); alternatively, in all existences and so on; or in all unlimited space (avatthāsu). This has been stated:– Just as the parents would be securely happy people (kusalī) and definite seekers of welfare (ekantahitesī) over their only lovely (piya) and endearing (manāpa) son, in the same way one should be securely happy (kusalī); in the same way, towards all directions beginning with such divisions as the east portion and so on, towards all-existences beginning with such varieties as sensual existence and so on, as well as toward all creatures who stood in all such unlimited details (avatthāsu) as varieties beginning with young people and so on, one should be securely happy (kusalī) because of his being definitely a seeker of welfare. Single flavoured (ekarasaṃ) loving kindness should be developed everywhere by way of no demarkation of boundary (sīmāsambheda) without having made such boundary limit as: “Friends, neutral (udāsīna) and enemy (paccattika). Having uttered this stanza, however, he gave his instruction thus:– “If you all venerables were to indulge yourselves (anuyuñjeyyātha) in the development of loving kindness in this manner, you all will definitely become (bhavatha) the recipients of such eleven sorts of benefits accruing from loving kindness as begun with “one sleeps blissfully,” and so on which had been spoken of by the Blessed One. The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Sopāka is complete. ----